Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Disclaimer: I found a TON of DIY’s, but have tried to select the most straightforward, safest, and overall best ones for each category. I have no doubt there are more/better ones out there, so please feel free to add! Also, be safe about this stuff and test it out along the way if you try these or have a new idea. Not all are how-to’s, there are some pictures and examples as well.

*It should be noted that here, and on a lot of these DIY’s the authors use 1.5” pipe, but that is the inner diameter. The outer diameter should be 2” to fit Olympic weights. Also little hockey tape can be used on any of these to make them fatter, or to give you some better grip.

*You can either use a rubber plug (size 12) or find a decent cap and secure it with a hose clamp to close it up. I also have an idea to distribute the weight evenly in a keg: fill with small amount of concrete, let settle to one side, let dry. Repeat this for 4 “sides” so that there is an even layer of concrete around the inside of the keg.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

So it has been a week since I began to lift weights and exercise again. It is feeling amazing and I can see my gains already. Began at 195 pounds and now I am currently 203 pounds. Huge gains! But I am still working towards my perfect physique and I will be posting up progress pictures to compare my progress so far either tonight or tomorrow. Sorry my posts have been becoming fewer and fewer, I have just began my new job and have been spending alot of time with my girlfriend. But keep following and Ill keep posting and giving tips!
Thanks guys

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

What is it?
Starting Strength is a lifting routine written by Mark Rippetoe. Actually, it is a few different but very similar routines. More on that later. It is also a book called Starting Strength, Basic Barbell Training that is often referred to as SS:BBT. It was written by Mark Rippetoe and Lon Kilgore. There are two editions of the book with a third one planned, last I checked, for sometime in 2011. IMO you want the most recent edition available.

More on the books:
The routine is mentioned in the book. However, that is not what the book is about. The book's primary purpose is to instruct the reader in the basic barbell lifts as well as some common accessory movements. It goes into great detail when explaining not only how to properly perform the lifts but also why they should be performed that way, common mistakes and methods for avoiding and even correcting these mistakes. For this reason I highly recommend the book as a primer to training with a heavy barbell even if you have no intention of ever running the program.

Note: Other than SS:BBT there is one other book I universally recommend to just about everybody, beginner or not it does not matter...and that is Bill Starr's The Strongest Shall Survive. It is even available from the Aasgaard Company. How convenient.

Who is it designed for?
The Starting Strength programs are primarily designed for skinny male teenagers who want to get bigger and stronger, especially for athletic purpose. However, it can and does work very well for ANY novice who wants to get stronger on the basic/core compound movements. This could be a brand new lifter, somebody who has been 'going to the gym' for years but never followed a solid and GOOD routine or an iron veteran returning from a lengthy layoff.

If you can keep up with the rate of progression and want to get stronger SS should be a consideration. However, the rate of progression is very aggressive and copious amounts of food and sleep help substantially. It is possible to run SS while on a cut (that, a caloric deficit where you lose bodyweight) if you are, no offense intended, overweight/fat enough and especially if you are also a complete newbie to weight training. On that note, here is a brief article about this (and more) written by Mr. Rippetoe:

Can I also build muscle and gain size while on Starting Strength?
Yes, you can. If you follow the program properly you will gain muscle. As a general rule if one lifts heavy weights and gets stronger while doing so (IE, lifting heavier weights as time goes on) while eating properly (adequate calories and protein) their muscles will grow. While it is true that the type of weight training used by strength athletes and body builders are different from one another the fact is that at the novice stage those differences are less significant. If your are primarily after looks and not strength or performance you may want to venture into the Workout Programs section and look for All Pro's simple beginner's routine. It is currently in a sticky at the top of the forum.

How long should I follow SS?
There is no set answer to this question. A good rule of thumb is that you should follow the most simple programming you can get away with. Thus you should run SS for as long as you can make gains. Nobody can tell you how many pounds you will be able to lift following SS. If you really want somebody with experience to be able to tell you when it might be a good idea to move on (or add or subtract from the program) there is, IMO, only one good option: Keep a journal. Make a journal in one of the journal sections here on bb.com. Enter every workout. Record information such as day, date, weight sets and reps performed, rest periods between sets, bodyweight, how the sets felt subjectively and any and all notes that might be of use to you or somebody else in the future such as amount of sleep, notes on your diet, hydration, supplements taken or skipped, body stat measurements, etc.

How do I verify correct form?
Unfortunately precious few personal trainers will be of any help. The same can be said regarding your typical fellow gym goers. Very few people perform these lifts even half correct, and in fact you will be lucky to see any number of people doing any of the lifts as described by Rippetoe. Other than the bench press, that is, and even then most guys (err, bros) will be buddy lifting (spotter is pulling up on the bar for every rep so nobody knows how much the lifter is doing), doing a partial ROM (most likely for no good reason other than the ego boost from heavier weight) or their ass will be off the bench. None of those things are what you will be doing.

But anyway, the answer is to take video, upload it to Youtube or your host of choice and post it on bb.com for feedback. If you are following SS it would be acceptable to post it in this thread. It is always acceptable to start your own thread in a forum. I suggest the Exercises or Powerlifting/Strongman forum if you are serious about getting it right.

Seriously, two of the best things you can do regarding useful feedback are keeping a journal (I keep one here on the site and my own physical journal...I personally highly suggest this method) and taking videos. Save them in folders on your computer and you can track your progress. Load them to Youtube and you can get outstanding feedback here on the forums.

What about diet?
This, in part, depends on your current condition and individual goals. SS is generally best run on a calorie surplus. If you have not yet read the above link titled (the clarification written by Mark) scroll back up and do so. A good rule of thumb is to consume at least 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight per day. For a bulk (calorie surplus where you gain bodyweight) you will often see 1 lb of bodyweight per week. For an underweight novice on SS Mr. Rippetoe will suggest an even higher rate of gain than this, at least initially. There is a nutrition sub forum here on bb.com, I suggest browsing around in there at some point, but the most important factors to watch are number of calories above/below maintenance and protein.

Do not, however, rely solely on running the numbers using online metabolic rate calculators and estimates of intake. Do use them as a baseline, if you want, but the most important and accurate measurement to determine if you are eating the correct amount is scale weight. The best time to take a measurement is first thing in the morning. Your body weight can and does fluctuate by several points or more throughout the day. Track it over time and look at it on a weekly and monthly basis. Personally I weigh myself at the gym when I arrive and then at multiple times during my workout. As I generally lift at about the same time of day after having consumed about the same amount of food/water this is fairly consistent. And I record the upper/lower numbers in my journal for that days workout and later enter it into my bb.com journal.

Do not forget to sleep!
Sleep is very important. The big three are diet, routine and rest. In order to get good, solid and consistent results you need to do a reasonable job getting all three of these correct. 6 hours of sleep a night is almost surely not going to cut it.

On to the actual routines!

Here are some routines.

They are listed as sets x reps. Thus 3x5 is 3 sets of 5 reps. 1x5 is 1 set of 5 reps. 5x3 is 5 sets of 3 reps.

You will always do a warmup. More on that at the bottom.

The original/classic Starting Strength
If a bb.com regular says "SS" or "Starting Strength", this is what they are likely referring to:

Workout A
Squat 3x5
Bench 3x5
Deadlift 1x5

Workout B
Squat 3x5
Press 3x5
Power Clean 5x3

Training days are 3 per week on non consecutive days. A typical Mon/Wed/Fri works well for many although the particular day of the week should be whatever fits your schedule best. I spent a lot of time lifting on Sun/Tue/Thur, for example.

No, you cannot skip the weekend and fit 7 workouts into a two week period instead of 6.

Use good judgment here. Sometimes life gets in the way of consistent training. Pick up where you left off. It might be reasonable to lift Mon/Wed/Fri/Sun if you are going to be unable to lift/keep your schedule later that week. Always go back and forth between the two, even if you get the days of the week out of order.

There are no hard and fast rules for chinups and pullups. Some people will not add weight until they get 3x15 at bodyweight. Some add weight when they get 15 reps on the first set. Still others might alternate back and forth, week to week, between three sets for reps at bodyweight and adding weight for for 3x5.

The Onus Wunsler
Workout A
3x5 Squat
3x5 Press
1x5 Deadlift / 5x3 Power Cleans (alternate every other A session)

Friday, June 3, 2011

Every guy who goes to the gym always sees two types of vascular people. One is the skinny guy who has a mass of veins naturally throughout their arms, and the jacked guy who trains hard enough for them to pop out. Now for the every day guy, veins and vascularity rarely show. So I asked some professionals how to become vascular, and they recommended to doing VERY high reps with low weights because this Very high reps of low weights increase capillarity. If this is within your goals, you can incorporate one or two days of high reps low weight into your routine, and within a month or two you will see an increase in veins through the body (mostly arms).
ALSO
Pre-Workout supplements containing NO2 I believe it is, or nitric oxide, these supplements increase blood flow by dilating the blood vessles in your body. Along with that they increase your energy levels. So if you take this and hit the gym, you will see an increase in size in the muscles known as the "Muscle Pump" and will also see an increase in vascularity as your veins should be much more visible. Although the muscle pump is only temporary, your veins being visable will slowly become a more permanent thing as you work out more, do the high reps routine, and take the supplements to enhance the visionary effects of being vascular.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

So first off I just created a new poll located right now >---------> or on the right side of the page. Favorite time to workout? Yeah I'll start the voting off and say morning. Prime time for me.

But on another note, I finally began my workouts today. I stuck the Arnold's routine that I previously posted on my blog, yet I did not fully complete it. A month and a half of no exercise due to recovery is brutal to progress. I lost so much size and strength, but the main reason the workout wasn't completed is because I ran out of time due to the gym closing for the night. I did get a nice chest and back lift in although it was much lower weights than I previously did. For instance I used to rep 225 for 10 at bench press, today i struggled doing 205 for 6. Kind of pathetic in my point of view so it has given me new inspiration to surpass what I was at before!

Monday, May 30, 2011

200 Followers? Wow I'm pretty impressed with myself. I'm glad people are enjoying my posts and the general subject of my blog, it makes me feel like I am inspiring some people and this blog actually will help me keep on task to complete my goal.
Thanks for the support guys keep following and commenting.

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About Me

I really enjoy lifting and exercising. I grew up doing sports every season throughout school, and love the rush from working out and burning off some steam. A few years ago I saw a body building competition after see strongman on TV and dreamed about becoming that tones and built. Now that Im in college this aspiration is taking shape and I am beginning to put in the work to make this dream come true.